Risk Factor
by cynicismplus1
Summary: Not long into the FBI Veronica gets assigned to a case that may just change her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Risk Factor  
**Author: **Ella :)  
**Characters/Pairings: **Veronica, Logan, and all of your favorite (and some not so favorite) Marsverse characters.  
**Rating: **T  
**Spoilers: **3x20 The Bitch Is Back  
**Word Count:** This chapter is 5842 words.**  
Summary: **Not long into the FBI Veronica gets assigned to a case that may just change her life  
**Disclaimer:** Don't own 'em. Sometimes wish I did, though.

**Chapter Title: Appendage **

**----------------  
**

**Friday 25 February 2011 – House of Leesa McMahon – McMahon's Rest, Montara, CA – 7:30am**

The first thing Leesa McMahon notices when she wakes up is that the weather is unusually cool for the California coast, even in winter. Trying not to wake her three month old baby, Leesa pads into the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast. As the kettle starts to boil she hears a loud crash coming from the living room. She glances at the clock on the stove and is hit with a rush of panic. Her parents aren't supposed to be arriving for another six hours. Grabbing a kitchen knife from the utensil draw, she makes her way to the living room. That's when she hears the giggle.

She places the knife on the bureau, sighs in relief and walks into the room. Sitting underneath the end table is her five year old son Lucas. Surrounding Lucas is an entire shelves worth of Leesa's CDs.

"Luke, honey." Leesa approaches her son and scoops him out from under the table. "What has mommy told you about scaring her like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Lucas grabs the collar of his mom's shirt and buries his face in it, masking his giggles. "'m sorry mommy."

Leesa smiles, dropping a kiss on her son's forehead and placing him back down on the floor. Grabbing the knife in her right hand, and her son's hand in her left, she heads back into the kitchen. Lucas climbs up into his seat and sits down at the table, while his mother fixes him breakfast.

While her son starts eating his cereal, Leesa puts on her work boots and hauls a large bag of dog food from the pantry to the sliding glass doors separating the kitchen from the backyard. Lucas drops his spoon on the floor and jumps out of his chair. "Mommy! Can I help feed the puppies?"

"Sure, sweetie." Leesa opens the door and Lucas bolts out past her and heads straight for the dog pen. Keeping one eye on her son, Leesa lifts the dog food and makes her way over to Lucas.

"Mommy! It's open!" The joyous cries of her son brings a smile to her face, even if the news he was shouting doesn't. If the gate to the dog pen was open, chances were that Tess was loose again. And that was never a good sign. Tess was forever escaping the pen and gallivanting around town, rummaging through the neighbors garbage cans.

Walking into the dog pen, Leesa locks the gate behind her before pouring food into the dog bowls. Four wriggly puppies waddle over to the bowl and begin to munch. Leesa smiles at their tails wagging. She stops smiling as soon as she hears her son's voice.

"No! Tess, no! Put it down, Tess. Put. It. _Down_." Lucas' voice is coming from inside the dog shelter. "Naughty! Naughty! Naughty! Tess!"

Frowning, Leesa follows her son's bellowing and sees him squatting down in front of Tess, attempting to pull something out of her mouth. Relief washes over Leesa as she realizes that Tess isn't shredding someone else's trash. That relief disappears the second she sees what Tess and Lucas are fighting over.

Clutched in her son's small hands is a finger. A finger connected to the arm on which Tess is currently chewing.

------

**Friday 25**** February 2011 – Apartment of Veronica Mars, Los Angeles, CA – 8:00pm**

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." Veronica mutters as she searches through her travel bag for her keys. Through the door, she can hear the phone ringing, and with a quick glance at her watch she knows it's her father for their scheduled call. She can't miss this one. She missed the last.

**Of course. I've had **_**the**_** most annoying day possible but by all means God, hide my keys so I miss another call from my dad.**

Upon giving up the search, Veronica pulls her lock picks from her bag and goes to work on her lock. It takes all of thirty seconds before she's through the door and running towards the kitchen where the phone is.

**Or not. **_**Perfect!**_

The phone's not on the receiver. Groaning in frustration, she flies into the lounge area trying to locate the phone by following the ringing. She's just flung the cushions off the couch when the ringing stops and her father's voice fills the house.

"You ever hear the one about the idiot Sheriff and his band of loser flunkies?" Keith's voice rings out loud and clear, a chuckle evident in his voice. "Long story short the idiot Sheriff screws up a case and the ADA asks the slick, handsome and brilliant PI for assistance. Pack your stereo kid, Daddy's going back to work."

Veronica stares at the machine, a grin splitting across her face. She shakes her head at her dad's jovial statement and continues searching for the phone.

"Anyway, I'm heading out to do some surveillance and wanted to catch you beforehand. I'll talk to you later, honey. And hey, who's your daddy?"

**Ugh. I hate it when he says that.**

She spots the phone peeking out from under the television cabinet and dives across the room. As soon as she pushes the talk button and starts to blurt out a witty retort, she hears dial tone. Keith's hung up. She missed the call. Again.

Veronica throws her travel bag down on the cushion-less couch, hits the redial button on the handset and stalks into the kitchen. Grabbing a frozen container of macaroni and cheese, she sighs as her dad's voice politely asks her to leave a message.

"Hey pops." She places the frozen meal in the microwave and makes a mental note to get groceries in the morning. "Sorry I missed your call but I swear the circumstances where completely out of my control. I mean I know I've been a pest in the past but all the gods were against me today. My flight was delayed three hours, I had to sit next to a screaming child, the cab driver kept hitting on me, and then I had to climb twelve flights of stairs because the elevator's out of service. Anyway, enough about me. Congratulations on the new case. Or, commiserations, you know, depending on how you look at it. I'm about to indulge myself with a typical Veronica-esque gourmet meal and head off to bed. I'll hear from you on Saturday. Stay safe, love you."

As she disconnects the call, the microwave informs her that her dinner is ready. Placing her iPod in the speakers, she grabs her meal and plops herself onto the couch. It's been a long day and she deserves some quiet time.

Ever since she graduated from Hearst and was picked up by the FBI her life has been one non-stop episode of _CSI_. Of course, Veronica's happier than she's been in a long time. She's surrounded herself by loving friends and family, and has the job of her dreams. The only regret she has is that to get to this place she lost three of her greatest friends to dire circumstances, and the others to other parts of the world.

She stretches out on the couch and kicks off her shoes. The trip to Seattle had taken a lot out of her and it wasn't even work-related. She'd flown over to visit her best friend and his fiancé in order to give them a belated engagement gift and celebrate with them. Of course, their engagement was to be kept on the down-low in case the press caught a whiff and started publishing various stories about the two. She missed him. A lot. But he was happy now and that was all she could have ever asked for.

As the iPod starts playing Beth Waters' _Blue & White_, a loud beeping is heard from her cell phone. It's a reminder. Sighing, she glances at the clock and tries to figure out what the time is in Australia.

Scooping a mouthful of solid cheese into her mouth, Veronica picks up her phone and dials one of her oldest friends.

--------

**Saturday 26**** February 2011 – House of Duncan & Annabelle Kane, Hurstbridge, VIC (AUS) – 2:00pm**

Duncan Kane has had a hard life. When he was sixteen he got told his girlfriend could be his sister, but he slept with her any way. When he was sixteen his sister was murdered and his own parents thought he did it. When he was eighteen he found out that his ex-girlfriend was pregnant and he was the father. When he was eighteen his ex-girlfriend died and he had to kidnap his daughter from her mother's abusive parents and once again flee the country.

It wasn't all bad though. When he was twenty one his daughter's aunt filed charges against her parents and his kidnapping charges were dropped. He was a free man. When he was twenty-one he met and married the love of his life, Annabelle Walters, a young nurse from Melbourne, Australia. At the age of twenty-two Annie gave birth to twin boys and Duncan's life was perfect. When the kidnapping charges were dropped, Duncan was able to return home to California but instead chose to remain in Australia where his whole world lived. He was comfortable now. He had a lovely wife and three lovely children. His best friend lived only an hours drive away and he could now communicate with everybody else he had left behind. His life was complete.

Here he was now, on a Saturday afternoon cleaning dishes with his wife after enjoying a wonderful summer barbeque with his family. Five years ago, if someone had told him he'd be spending his time washing dishes and playing Barbie with Lilly Jr. and Tonka trucks with the twins, he wouldn't have believed them. And not because he preferred race cars to dump trucks.

Duncan Kane. Soul heir to the entire Kane fortune. He had a maid to tie his own shoelaces and here he was cleaning up a one year old's mashed peas. In the words of his beloved sister: the Donut a family man? Who would have thunk it?

He hears a squeal and feels a tug at his leg. He looks down to see the oldest of the twins grinning up at him, mashed peas between his fingers. Shaking his head at the two perfect green hand prints on his leg, he towels off his hands and bends down to pick up little Joshua. He's heading out onto the patio, his son in his arms when a beeping sounds from the office. It's the phone. Placing Joshua next to his brother, Duncan turns to his wife and drops a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll get it. It's two o'clock so it's probably Veronica."

"Say hi for me ok?" Annie smiles at her husband. "And tell her about July."

"Sure thing." Duncan nods and then re-enters the house. He enters his office, sits down in his chair and picks up the phone. "DK speaking."

There's a chuckle on the other end of the line and he smiles when he realizes that it is indeed Veronica. "Do you always have to answer my calls like that?"

"How else would you have me answer them? In Pig-Latin? Uncan-Day Ane-Kay."

"Duncan Kane, sarcastic? What is the world coming to?"

"Veronica Mars, mocking me? What a surprise!" he counters, leaning back in his chair comfortably. "How've you been Miss Mars?"

Veronica sighs before replying. "Alright, I guess. I just got back from Seattle. Worst. Flight. Ever. There was this little kid sitting next to me and he would not stop screaming. I've never in my life wanted to kill a child but I swear to god, I could have ripped that kid's throat out. Why do people pro-create?"

Duncan's about to answer her when Joshua crawls into the room and under the work bench. "Considering I've got three children I'm probably not the best person to ask, Veronica."

Realizing her mistake Veronica's eyes widen in horror. "Oh god, Duncan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean – oh, well, yeah I did mean but – your children are gorgeous." Her eyes drift to a shelf where the Christmas card Annie and Duncan posted to her three months earlier is displayed proudly. Annie is sitting on a couch holding the twins while Duncan is standing beside her, a four year old Lilly on his hip, her blonde hair in pigtails.

"Thank you." He chuckles at her backpedaling and ducks his head under the bench to make sure his son isn't playing with anything electrical. "And I know you don't actually kill small children. You just, how can I put this nicely? Oh, right, hate them with every fiber of your being?"

"That's not true!" Her indignant response is so loud it almost bursts Duncan's ear drum. "I don't hate them. They just annoy me. Besides, I did alright when I visited last summer."

"Veronica, the second you got here you agreed to take Lilly to the beach, which we live four hours away from, and then when you finally settled on the pool, you took her out there in the cold and you both got sick." Duncan frowns at the memory of the two of them spending a week lying in bed under layers of blankets.

"How many times do I need to apologize for that? I'm really sorry. But in my defense, I did just get here from sunny California. How was I to know it was going to be so cold out?"

"I dunno, perhaps when you stepped out of the airport and screamed 'God Duncan is this Australia or Alaska?' at the top of your lungs, I figured you got the message." Noticing Joshua reaching for a stack of papers he bends down and redirects his son towards the teddy bear lying in the middle of the room.

"I don't think I like this new and improved confident Duncan. I think I liked you better when you didn't talk back to me and took everything I said as law." Her words stung a little but her tone held no malice. He decides not to bite and makes the decision to change the subject.

"Suck it up Veronica, I can practically hear you pouting." Just as she's about to respond he cuts her off. "How was Seattle anyway?"

"The city? Not as bad as everyone makes out. The people? Yeah, them I could have done without. Although it was good to see my BFF again. Who would have thought that living only seventeen hours away could put a strain on communication?"

"Weird, huh?" He replies nonchalantly, attempting to calculate how long it takes to fly from where he is back to California. It's then that he remembers his wife's words and decides to tell Veronica the good news. "How about we combine the two major topics of this conversation and I tell you a secret?"

Veronica frowns at his suggestion and attempts to piece together their conversation. "Wallace and children?" Her eyes widen at his suggestion. "Suzanna's having a baby? And you know before I do? Huh. Well, consider his BFF status revoked. I wonder what Parker's doing at the moment…"

"No, Veronica, Suzanna is not having a baby." Duncan says the words slowly so he knows she understood. "At least, not that I know of."

"Good. Because I don't think Parker would be able to get me free front row basketball tickets to rub in my colleagues faces."

Duncan smiles. "No, I suppose interior decorators don't really have a lot of pull with the world of NBA. Besides, not what I was talking about. Annie, the kids and I are planning on spending July in Neptune. How would you feel about a visitation?"

"Hmm…" Veronica pretends to mull it over. "Spending the only leave I've got holed up in my apartment working while pretending not to be, or returning to the town I despise almost as much as children to spend time with all my friends and family." There's a pause before she answers. "Yeah, that's a toughie."

"I'll let you know our arrival date when we've booked the flights." Duncan catches a glimpse of his wife walking past his office door and towards the house's main entrance.

"Wonderful." The blonde lets out a contented sigh and shifts on her couch, stretching her legs out in front of her. "It's been almost a year since I've seen you guys. The boys must be getting big."

Just as Duncan starts to respond he hears a familiar voice from the foyer and Annie's reply informing him that Duncan's in his office. "They are. They grow up so fast." He nods his head at Logan as he enters the room and drops to the floor next to little Joshua. Duncan smiles as his best friend waves the small bear in front of the baby, eliciting a joyous cry from him and a wide grin from Logan. "Can you hang on a second?"

Frowning at the sudden change in conversation, Veronica sits up. "Sure."

Duncan covers the mouthpiece of the phone and turns to Logan. "Hey man. It's Veronica. Do you wanna say hello?"

Shaking his head, Logan's grin remains in place as the younger twin crawls into the room and heads straight for him. "Nah dude, I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Ok."

Shaking her head at the muffled conversation on the other end of the line, Veronica can't help but feel a little hurt. She hasn't seen Logan in almost two years and while they've become close friends and speak every weekend, she still feels a little upset that he's turned down the opportunity for a conversation.

"Hey, sorry about that." Duncan lifts the handset back to his ear and apologizes. "Logan just arrived."

"So I heard." The response is short and she knows that Duncan's recognized the change in her tone. "Covering the mouthpiece doesn't work as well with digital phones, Donut. I can hear everything going on over there."

Duncan lets out a sigh at the bite in her voice and watches as Logan starts to tickle his son's feet. As he's started to learn over the years, the best course of action when Veronica gets prickly about a subject, is to change it. "For a second there I thought you were going to make a joke about which Logan."

Smiling wryly, Veronica stands up and heads back to the kitchen with her empty dinner container. "Thought about it. I mean, what possessed you to name your son after Logan? Lilly Junior? I understand, but Logan Junior? Duncan, do you really think the world needs another gremlin like Logan?"

"Firstly, I object to you calling my son a gremlin, and I'm pretty sure Logan objects to you calling him one too." He glances over at his best friend who simply nods. "And secondly, I never thought I'd see you guys again and wanted to make sure I had something to remember him by."

"A kid?" She snorts. "Couldn't you just steal a sweatshirt or something? And what about me? Named any of your kids after me Duncan?"

"Considering the relationship we once had I decided it would be a little creepy if I named one of my kids after you. Besides, I'm pretty sure little Joshua would have objected to being called Veronica."

She grins at his reasoning and lets out a yawn. "Whatever." There's another yawn and she glances at the clock, deciding its time to call it quits. "Hey, I'm practically falling asleep on the phone. I'll hear from you next week, alright?"

"Sure thing 'Ronica." Duncan nods. "9pm your time." They disconnect and he drops the handset onto his desk before sliding off his chair and joining Logan, Logan Jr. and Joshua on the floor. Joshua crawls over to his father and bites him on the knee.

Logan turns to face them and laughs as Joshua spits up on Duncan's pants. "I dunno man, if he causes you this much distress maybe you should have named him Veronica."

-------

**Saturday 26**** February 2011 – Apartment of Veronica Mars, Los Angeles, CA – 3:00am**

A shrill chirping forces her eyes open and she lets out a frustrated groan when her clock informs her of the time. Switching on her lamp, Veronica leans over and grabs her cell phone, pressing the talk button.

"Mars." Her voice is groggy and she blinks at the change in brightness, silently hoping her exhaustion isn't relayed through her tone of voice.

"Mornin' Mars." The gruff voice rings in her ears she frowns as recognition forms in her brain. She sits bolt upright and runs her other hand through her hair.

**Mitchell Sheldon? If my boss is calling me at three in the morning it's got to be important.**

"Be at the office in one hour. We've got a case." And with that he disconnects. She frowns, realizing this was going to be her first official FBI case.

**A case? What kind of case? If Sheldon's the one calling me then it's no Mickey Mouse case. This one requires the entire team.**

Pushing her covers off, Veronica swings her legs over the side of the bed, stands up and heads for the shower.

--------

**Saturday 26**** February 2011 – Los Angeles FBI Offices, Los Angeles, CA – 4:00am**

She arrives dead on four and as soon as she enters the main briefing room all of her confidence disappears. Seated around a large wooden table are the other eight members of Sheldon's team, and standing in front of a large board stands the man himself.

"Mars. Right on time." Sheldon nods in her direction and motions to the empty chair. "Take a seat and we'll get started."

"Lord knows we've been waiting long enough." The exasperated voice comes from her right and Veronica whips her head around to see Harry Blue smirking at her. Taking her seat she shoots him a glare.

"Agent Mars was the last person to get the call Harrison." Sheldon turns to Harry and frowns at him in displeasure. "She arrived at the time given to her. It's nice to know that one of my newbies doesn't feel the need to constantly kiss my ass."

Harry blanches at Sheldon's tone and Veronica shoots him a look of satisfaction. She's been competing with Harrison Blue since her junior year at Hearst when he was the other university student who'd been offered an internship. She hated him on sight, and when she discovered he was a student at Stanford her hatred grew. It grew even more when she found out they'd been assigned to Sheldon's team together.

"Seeing Harry getting humiliated was totally worth waking up at three in morning for." Brooke Swann, the agent sitting next to Veronica whispers before taking another sip of her coffee. "It just never gets old. You'd think by now he'd realize you're the favourite of the newbies."

Veronica smiles at Brooke and hangs her coat over the back of chair before taking her seat. "It must be my wonderful personality." Upon hearing Brooke snort, her smile widens.

Brooke Swann was only three years older than Veronica. They'd met during the summer after Veronica's sophomore year when Brooke was assigned a case involving someone from Veronica's past. By the end of the case the two had formed a tenuous friendship which, over the years, had blossomed into a solid friendship. Brooke had been a member of Sheldon's team for three years and was the one who introduced Sheldon to Veronica's file. Brooke Swann was the reason Veronica was on this team. No doubt about it.

"What have we got, Boss?" The voice of Agent Jeff Braidwood snaps Veronica out of her thoughts and back to the reason she's sitting at LA headquarters at four in the morning.

Sheldon steps to the side of the board and motions to a family photo of a young blonde woman holding a small boy. Both are grinning at the camera. "Leesa McMahon, Montara, California, woke up yesterday morning and headed outside with her son Lucas to feed the dogs. Imagine her surprise when she found her son playing tug-o-war with her cattle dog. Their chose of rope? This." He presses a fat finger against the board, pinning up a photograph of a human arm.

**Not the ideal object you want your son to be playing with in the backyard.**

"Local Sheriff's Department conducted a search of the immediate area and found no other body parts. Their computer guy matched the tattoo on the wrist to that of a missing girl." Two more pictures are added to the board: a close-up photograph of the small butterfly tattoo, the initials BH inked into the wings, and a photograph of a young brunette girl. She couldn't have been more than twenty.

"Nineteen year old Kimberly Rose Hutchens was last seen eight months ago leaving her boyfriend's house at five in the evening with the intention of heading straight home. She never got there."

**Nineteen. You'd think after all the death in my life I'd be used to this hollow feeling. I'm not. Nobody so young should have their life taken away.**

"Local PD stopped looking for her three months ago. Her severed arm appears in the hands of a five year old and suddenly the case reopens." Sheldon pulls a case file out of his briefcase and drops it down on the desk.

An older agent, Alan Wittlesea pulls the case file towards him and starts passing documents around the table. Veronica looks down at the police report and frowns.

**Connecticut?**

"I don't get it." Harry's voice cuts through the silence. "Why do we got this case? Why aren't the local cops handlin' it."

Looking up from the report Veronica's frown deepens. "Because she went missing in Woodbury, Connecticut. Correct me if I'm wrong, Agent Blue, but I'm pretty sure that's on the other side of the country, and once a case crosses state lines…"

"…it becomes federal." Harry finishes, clearly sulking at the fact that Veronica had once again obtained the upper hand.

"That's right." Sheldon nods, taking a step towards the bench.

"Who were the suspects?" Agent Eliza Winton looks up from the missing persons flier and aims her question at Veronica.

Glancing down at the police report, Veronica flips the page over and skims the suspect list. "Ex-boyfriend Rowan Pike –"

"It's always the creepy ex-boyfriend." Will Lenovo leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "Can't deal with being dumped, gets pissed, and kills her."

"Shut up Lenovo." Veteran agent Anthony Hodgkinson shoots him a disapproving look before turning back to Veronica. "Who else?"

Veronica looks down at the papers again. "Current boyfriend James Pickett, and the stepfather Raymond Wykes. James was the last person to see her and she never got along with Raymond. Couldn't stand him, apparently."

"Any reports of abuse?" Special Agent Jayne Laidlaw, Sheldon's second-in-command lowers her glasses and turns to face Veronica, who shakes her head in response.

"Naturally," Sheldon begins, "as the case has been reopened, these suspects need to be re-interviewed. Mars, Lenovo, you've got the parents. Swann, Hodgkinson, you've got the lovers. Try and find a connection to California. Laidlaw will supervise. Your plane leaves LAX in forty minutes. The rest of you are coming with me to Montara."

As people stand up and start heading towards the door Brooke taps Veronica on the shoulder. "I wish they would have told me it was going to be an overnighter." She lifts her small bag up and waves it in front of Veronica's face. "I would have packed something."

"I've always got a suitcase in the back of my car." Veronica smiles. "You can borrow something."

"Were you in the boy scouts or something Veronica? You're always prepared." She grins in admiration before heading out the door.

Veronica's face falls.

**No, not boy scouts. But when you've been caught off guard as many times as I have, you tend to learn. **

As she heads out the door she takes one more look at Kimberly's smiling face.

**What happened to you Kimberly Rose Hutchens?**

-----------

**Saturday 26**** February 2011 – House of Logan Echolls, Seville, VIC (AUS) – 10:30pm**

As he drags himself through the front door he wonders why he didn't just take Duncan up on the offer of the spare room. Granted, they live only one hour away but when you've been up for over twenty-four hours submitting last minute college applications, one hour's travel can just about kill you.

Logan makes his way into the kitchen and drops his keys on the counter. He pours himself a glass of water and glances at his answering machine. The little red light informs him he's got four messages. Pressing the 'play' button, he takes a sip.

"Hey Logan, it's Charlie. Heard from Trina yet? She left a wonderful message on my machine. Man, if we could sell that girl's energy, we'd put Prozac out of business. Call me when you've spoken to her."

Despite his complete exhaustion Logan manages a smile. Listening to his older brother bitch about his sister was one of the best things in his life. Normal, like a real family. Something he never thought he'd ever have. After losing Trina after his senior year at Neptune High, when she hit a major down spiral, Logan never bothered to make contact. He'd given up hope of ever establishing a normal relationship with her. So when he discovered he had a brother he was determined to make a clean start. When 'Charlie' turned out to be Norman Phipps, Logan began to realize it was hopeless – his only other family member had handed him over to the press on a silver platter. Reverting back to his nature, Logan retaliated by blowing the real Charlie's cover, only to discover that he didn't betray him. Desperate to make amends Logan left messages on his brother's phone. Charlie never called back.

It wasn't until halfway through sophomore year at college that Charlie decided to contact Logan. Logan's sure he has Veronica to thank for it all, but she denied everything. Not wanting the opportunity to slip away, he agreed to meet Charlie for lunch. The two became closer, and when Logan made the decision to move to Australia, and Trina finally made contact, Logan decided to introduce his brother to his sister.

His eyes stray to the photograph hanging above his fireplace. Logan, Charlie and Trina, taken in Trina's condo the previous summer. Trina insisted on having a family photo, and while Logan found the whole idea completely dorky, that photograph was one of his most treasured possessions, and was given the prime position on the mantel – between a photograph of him and his mother, and another of him with Veronica, Lilly and Duncan. His whole family. Nowhere in his entire house was there any trace of Aaron.

The next message began to play. "Hey little brother." Trina's jovial voice rings out. "I was just wondering if you got the invite yet? It's just a formality really as I know you're already going to be here but I was hoping to get your opinion on them. I wanted them to be tasteful you know, nothing too over the top because that's not who I am anymore." There's a snort in the background and Logan realizes it must be Todd. "Shut up, TJ you know it's not!" Trina's snapping confirms it. "Anyway, love you, miss you, wondering if you and Charlie'll still be able to foot half the bill for the reception. Call me."

Logan shakes his head at his sister's subtle hint for money. The funny thing is, he was actually proud of her. After a shaky attempt at a Hollywood lifestyle, mooching off her family name and her daddy's demise, and a quick stint in a rehab facility, Trina had really started to grow up. She'd gone to a community college and obtained a certificate in costume design and fashion and was now working for a production company in Neptune. It was surprising considering her inherent allergy to work, but she really enjoyed it and soon it became the one thing in her life she loved more than money. Until she met Todd Flynn, a theatre director, and pretty soon they were engaged. As a wedding present Logan and Charlie offered to pay for the reception but Trina adamantly refused, saying she was moving past the 'trivial things in life' and was determined to break the hold Aaron's money had on her. When Todd's latest production went bust Trina recanted her refusal but would only agree that her brother's pay for half the reception.

Quickly deleting the message, Logan takes another sip of his water and waits for the next one to play.

"Hey dude, it's me." Logan's eyes shoot open as the voice of Dick Casablancas wafts from the speaker. "Uh, listen man, I know we haven't spoken in like three years but I was hoping to maybe see you in May. Ronnie gave me your number after she had Mackie give her mine. I'm, uh, I'm graduating, dude. I'd really like you to be there. If you don't want to that's totally cool. I'd hate me for not callin'."

Logan looks down at the floor and closes his eyes, hearing the pain in Dick's voice. It had been almost three years since they'd spoken. After Dick's dad was released from prison, after serving only half his sentence, he was killed by Enrico Oliveras as revenge for his nephew's death at the hands of Cassidy. Dick was a mess. He relapsed into his alcoholic tendencies and began reliving the effects of Cassidy's actions. The last time Logan had spoken to him, Dick walked out of the suite at the Neptune Grand announcing he needed 'fuckin' space, man' and never came back. Three days later Logan got a text message saying Dick was fine but that he wasn't returning to Neptune.

As his brain began waging a war as to whether or not he would actually attend Dick's graduation, the fourth message began to play.

"Hey Logan it's just me." Veronica's voice sounded tired and sad. "Just wanted to let you know that you should have taken Duncan up on his offer to talk to me yesterday, as I have to cancel our call for tomorrow. I landed a case. It's a big one." There's a rush of static before her voice becomes clear again. "…boarding a plane to Connecticut. I'll give you a call when I've got time. Bye."

Frowning, he deletes the messages and starts replaying them in his mind. Dick's made contact and wants Logan to be at his graduation, and Veronica's got no time for him because she's about to put herself in, what's likely to be, serious danger, because let's face it: she's Veronica Mars.

Logan walks into his room and flops down onto the bed. Fuck. There's no way he's getting any sleep tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Risk Factor  
**Author: **Ella :)  
**Characters/Pairings: **Veronica, Logan, and all of your favorite (and some not so favorite) Marsverse characters.  
**Rating: **T  
**Spoilers: **Everything. It's all fair game.  
**Word Count:** This chapter is 3863 words.**  
Summary: **Not long into the FBI Veronica gets assigned to a case that may just change her life.  
**Disclaimer:** Don't own 'em. Sometimes wish I did, though.

**Chapter Title: Kin **

**Saturday 26 February 2011 – House of Raymond & Estelle Wykes, Woodbury, CT – 3:00pm**

Sitting in the living room of Kimberly Hutchens' parents, Veronica starts to feel nauseas. The room is filled with family photographs, graduation photographs, sporting awards and trophies, and mounted on the wall above the mantle is a horrendous family photograph. The couches are decorated with a ghastly flower pattern and the entire room smells of English Rose, and yet Veronica's heart aches for the girl who will never be able to return home.

**This is always the worst part: bearing witness to the life that was cut short. It seems Kimberly was quite an active young lady. Someone to be proud of. How do you deal with losing someone like that? Honestly, you never really do.**

"We had that portrait done on her eighteenth birthday." Raymond Wykes' spots Veronica looking at the portrait and gives a sad smile. "We'd gotten her present custom made and she was so happy. She shocked us when she announced she wanted a picture taken."

Veronica tries to cover her grimace with a smile as Estelle Wykes, Kimberly's mother, places a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her. "Thank you, Mrs Wykes." Simply nodding in return, Estelle takes the empty seat next to her husband Raymond, and braces herself for the story that's about to unravel.

"You say you have news about our Kimberly?" Raymond's steely voice cuts through the air and Veronica squints as she turns to him, attempting to size him up.

**So Ray, you were one of the original suspects. Any chance you killed your stepdaughter, chopped her up, flew across the country and dropped her arm in the McMahon's dog pen?**

She spares a glance at Agent Lenovo who shuffles a few papers before setting a manila folder down on the table.

"Mr Wykes, do you know if Kimberly had any friends in California? Or any friends with any ties to the west coast?" Lenovo dives straight into the questioning.

Briefly glancing in his wife's direction, Raymond shakes his head. "Not as far as I know. Most of Kimberly's friends reside in Connecticut and New York. A few of the others have gone interstate for college but none as far as California." The response rolls straight off his tongue and Veronica takes a breath, wondering about the ease of the statement.

"I have an older sister in Oregon." The words are spoken so softly, for a brief second Veronica wonders if she even heard them. "Kimberly spent a few months there just over a year ago." Estelle's eyes never leave the cup of tea in her hands. Lenovo scribbles on his notepad and glances at the next piece of paper.

"What about this Rowan Pike?" Veronica speaks for the first time. "Or James Pickett? Do you know if either of them have ties to the west coast?"

Estelle's head snaps up and her eyes lock with Veronica's. "Rowan Pike was a waste of space. He never cared about Kimberly, all he ever did was hurt her. It would surprise me if anyone had the patience to form ties with the man."

"And James Pickett?" Lenovo doesn't look up from his notebook as the question rolls off his tongue. Veronica turns to him in disbelief, frowns, and interrupts Estelle before she can answer.

"I'm sorry Mrs Wykes. Was?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Veronica leans forward on her chair, ignoring Lenovo's questioning look. "You said 'Rowan Pike _was_ a waste of space'. What did you mean by that exactly?"

"Rowan Pike is dead, Agent Mars." Estelle's confused frown matches the one adopted by Veronica only seconds earlier. "I'm surprised you didn't already know that." Her face falls and the cup of tea once again becomes the most interesting object in the room.

"The bastard died from a heroin overdose two weeks after Kimberly went missing." Raymond explains, his dark brown eyes boring holes in Veronica's face. "Cops rules it a suicide and decided he was responsible for Kim's disappearance. You think he's not?"

Before Veronica can answer, Lenovo pipes up. "We're not sure of anything at the moment, Mr Wykes. We're just reviewing Kimberly's case in light of new evidence."

"What evidence?"

Veronica's been observing Mr Wykes since the start of the interview and decides now is the best time to question him as to why he was a suspect. "Mr Wykes, you were also a prime suspect in the disappearance of your step-daughter. Could you tell us why the local PD suspected you?"

A chuckle escapes through his lips and Veronica's momentarily taken aback. Raymond blinks rapidly, as if trying to quell tears. "Kimberly's never liked me. She sees me as a replacement for her father and insists on acting out."

"Kimberly's father, David, died in a trucking accident almost ten years ago." Estelle swipes furiously at her tears. "And although I only got remarried two years ago, Kimberly didn't believe eight years was a sufficient enough mourning period. She believed that when you married, you married for life."

**Oh, how naïve. If only that girl had grown up in Neptune.**

"She never approved of your marriage?" Lenovo questions, having momentarily stopped scribbling. "Did that make you angry?"

A flash of anger swept over Raymond's face. "Absolutely not!" The outburst was over as fast as it had started. He simply shrugged. "I guess I was hoping someday she'd approve."

There's a moment of silence as Lenovo returns to his writing and Veronica continues to observe Kimberly's parents. They both look genuinely upset and worried, and Veronica feels saddened as she notices the glimmer in their eyes. Hope.

**How you tell someone you found their daughters arm in the mouth of a cattle dog?**

The silence is broken when Raymond speaks. "You said you had new evidence. What is it?"

"Mr and Mrs Wykes, do you recognize this tattoo?" Lenovo slides a photograph of the butterfly tattoo towards the distraught couple. Veronica remains silent, observing their faces for reactions.

"That's Kim's tattoo." Estelle states definitively. "She got it done about a year ago." Her face crumples as she takes in the pale skin tone. "Where did you find her?"

"In the yard of a California farm." Lenovo's response is abrupt and Veronica turns to him in annoyance.

**How did this guy get into the FBI? **

Estelle's tears spill over and she lets out a strangled sob, burying her head in her husband's chest. Veronica shoots a glare at her partner before turning back to the weeping mother.

"I'm afraid Agent Lenovo is misunderstood." The words come out much firmer than she'd anticipated and she once again ignores the look Lenovo is sending her. Only this time it isn't questioning, its pure outrage.

"What my partner mean is…" she pauses, hoping for the right words to suddenly exit from her mouth.

**Is what, Veronica? That you didn't find the girl, you only found part of her?**

"…Have you ever heard of George Sanders?" Her voice wavers only slightly and she makes the mistake of glancing at Lenovo. His eyes are wide, in a warning, his mouth set in a thin line, his head shaking ever so slightly.

"No." Estelle and Raymond reply simultaneously.

"Six years ago George Sanders was wanted on drug trafficking charges, and was presumed dead after a team of forensics discovered his leg in the remains of a car explosion. Two years ago George Sanders was spotted leaving a convenience store in Albuquerque." Raymond cuts her off before she finishes.

"Are you saying that you only have a _part_ of our daughter?" The disbelief lacing his voice caused Veronica to shudder.

**Uh…**

"Her left arm, yes." Veronica's voice doesn't falter and she's filled with a sudden sense of pride.

"Are you saying my daughter is still alive?" Estelle's tears have dried and her entire face lights up. Veronica's heart skips a beat as she realizes what she's done.

**Nice one, Mars. You just gave them the idea that Kimberly's still alive when you, and your entire team believe she's dead.**

Lenovo, who's clearly seething, smiles sadly and leans toward the couple. "I wouldn't get my hopes up."

----------

**Saturday 26 February 2011 – ****Outside the House of Raymond & Estelle Wykes, Woodbury, CT – 4:35pm**

Veronica and Lenovo aren't even down the front steps of the Wykes house before she puts her game face on and prepares for battle. She knows she broke procedure and she knows what she said was wrong, but she wasn't going to lie and tell them that the FBI had found Kimberly when, in fact, they hadn't. She also knew better than to tell them they're daughter was still alive. Either way, she couldn't help herself.

"What the hell were you thinking, Mars?" The words are short and clipped, and Veronica knows this is only the start of an argument. "You can't tell the victim's family she may still be alive."

"Why not?" Veronica counters, whipping around to face him. "We don't know that she isn't. For all we know she could be sipping margaritas on a beach in the Bahamas. For all we know, that isn't even her arm."

"You heard them." Lenovo nods his head towards the house. "They ID'd the tattoo."

Veronica shakes her head in annoyance. "So? How do we know it's her arm? I could march right in to Sparky's Tattoo Parlour and have that tattooed on my arm right now. You know, I'm beginning to wonder how exactly the FBI goes about investigating things. We should have had the forensics team run a DNA test on the arm and see whether or not it matches Estelle. And what the hell does BH stand for? Her name begins with a K, her mom's with an E, and her dead father's name was David. For that matter, is BH even a person?"

Lenovo's face reddens in anger. "Where the hell do you get off judging the FBI, Mars? I've had five years of experience. Five! And this is your first major case!" He takes a step towards her. "We handle investigations a certain way and so far no one's complaining. That arm belonged to Kimberly Hutchens and she is dead. You had no right instilling a sense of false hope into those poor bastards." His arm flings out as he points behind him. "We'll get the fuckhead that did this and we'll do it according to procedure. If you don't like it then get the hell of this case and the hell out of the bureau!"

Veronica's eyes momentarily fill with tears of anger and she takes another deep breath. "I'm not criticizing procedure, _Agent Lenovo_." She's mocking him and she revels in the fact that he knows it. "Unless I'm mistaken the 'I' in FBI stands for Investigations, and I'm sorry if my more in-depth methods get in the way of yours but I did more investigating in my junior year at high school then you've done in your entire five year career with the FBI. I've been a licensed PI for almost four years and I worked with one for a lot longer." She pauses at the surprise in his eyes. "And this case is not my first major case. That was the murder of my best friend. I was seventeen." She steps towards the rental SVU. "And I solved that one." Without giving him a chance to respond she jumps into the passenger seat and slams the door.

Staring at the petite blond in the car, Lenovo is speechless. He's read Mars' file. He knows the cases she worked on. Hell, the most recent one had her working with three members of his team: the Fitzpatrick-Navarro case. Deciding not to inflict any more damage on the strenuous partnership as there already was, he slowly walks to the driver's side of the car and climbs in. He remains completely silent until they reach the US-6, headed for their overnight stop in Southbury.

"It's good to know we've narrowed down the suspect pool. What with Rowan Pike being dead and all."

She doesn't turn to face him, offering only a simple nod and so he tries again. "I don't think the step-father's guilty."

Veronica's head whips around so fast for a second she's sure she's suffered whiplash. She squints slightly, studying his face before she answers. "Me neither."

"I think it's safe to say that, with our combined 'investigatory experience', he's officially not a suspect." He spares a glace her way in order to gauge her reaction to his statement.

Once again, she simply nods her head. She turns and faces on the view out the window, having not forgiven his outburst, but with a small smile on her face.

----------

**Saturday 26 February 2011 – Along the I-84, Pootatuck Park, CT – 5:10pm**

Agent Brooke Lorraine Swann, only twenty-seven years old, had already cracked open three major cases over her last three years in the FBI but it never got any easier. Her first case was especially difficult. She, along with an intern, worked with Sheldon and Laidlaw to bring down a major drug trafficking ring along the entire Californian coast. Three of her own college friends had been involved. It was during this case that Brooke went undercover as the girlfriend of an Irish mobster, and it was during this case that she met Veronica Mars, the only other member of this team that Brooke actually got along with, and one of three that she respected.

After spending the afternoon with Hodgkinson, questioning Kimberly Hutchens' boyfriend, Brooke had come to the conclusion that this case was going to be bigger than originally anticipated. Call it a gut feeling, but there was something more going on here and she could feel it with every fiber of her being.

As Hodgkinson stops at a gas station in Pootatuck Park, Brooke decides to call Veronica and update her on the happenings of the afternoon.

"Mars." Veronica drops her duffel on one of the two single beds in the hotel room and kicks off her shoes.

"Hey Veronica, it's Brooke." She tries for upbeat but is certain she fails.

"Brooke." Veronica takes a seat on the end of her bed. "How'd the interview go?"

Brooke smiles at Veronica's direct approach. "James Pickett is an absolute sweetheart. Denies having anything to do with Kimberly's disappearance. In fact, he was going to propose to her. Even showed me the ring." She glances out her window and sees that Hodgkinson has paid the gas attendant and is on his way back to the car.

Veronica frowns, "Propose? Kimberly's only nineteen. Isn't Pickett only twenty? That's a little young."

Brooke shifts in her seat as Hodgkinson climbs back into the SUV and starts the engine. She mouths the word 'Mars' to him before replying to Veronica. "He wasn't planning on proposing now, he was planning on proposing when she graduated."

"In four years?"

With a nod of her head Brooke confirms it. "Yep. Does that sound like someone who would murder his girlfriend and chop her into tiny pieces?"

Veronica shrugs. "Stranger things have happened." She pauses for effect. "I dunno Brooke, what does your gut tell you?"

"That he's innocent." Her response is quick. "What about you? How'd it go with the parents?"

"Lenovo and I believe the stepdaddy's innocent. They're grieving, but refusing to believe she's dead." Veronica trails off.

Brooke pulls the phone away from her ear and checks the connection. Upon seeing it still intact, she comes to the conclusion that there's something Veronica's not telling her. "But…"

Veronica sighs. "I may have given them the idea that their daughter is still alive."

"You what?"

"I didn't mean to, exactly. They looked so distraught, and I wanted to keep them hopeful."

"Veronica. You know the chances of Kimberly being alive are…" she searches her brain for statistics "…a billion to one. What were you thinking?"

"I don't know." She doesn't offer anything else and Brooke decides not to push her.

"Did you question the ex, yet?"

"The ex is dead. According to the parent's he died a few weeks after Kimberly went missing. Lenovo's on the phone now seeking confirmation. He's also requesting DNA analysis on the arm to prove it is Kimberly Hutchens'."

"Uh huh." Brooke smiles wryly. "His idea or yours?"

"His. Although, I may have placed the idea in his mind."

"Interesting." Brooke leans back in her seat and sighs. "We just pulled off the I-84. We'll be at the hotel in ten minutes."

"Can't wait."

Brooke disconnects the call and, at Hodgkinson's questioning glance, begins relaying the case information gathered by Veronica and Lenovo.

----------

**Saturday 26 February 2011 – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Southbury, CT – 9:15pm**

Veronica stretches out on her single bed and switches the television on, hoping to catch the news. Wrinkling her nose at the realization that the Finance Report is on, she pops a handful of M&M's into her mouth and sighs.

Brooke exits the bathroom, towel-drying her hair and frowns at the pile of papers at the end of Veronica's bed. "What's all that?"

"Hodgkinson dropped it off while you were in the shower. Sheldon faxed over the reports from the crime scene, as well as everything gathered by the other half of the team while they've been there." She grabs another handful of M&M's. "He also said he wants us back in LA by tomorrow night. Our flight leaves at ten in the morning."

Letting out a sigh, Brooke drops her towel onto her bed. "No sleep in for me, then."

Smiling, Veronica nods her head. "We're flying out from Waterbury-Oxford Airport. It's only ten minutes away. You can sleep in until nine-thirty."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Brooke grins, stopping only when Veronica shushes her and turns up the volume as the Sport Report appears on the television screen.

"…_in the final quarter, leading the Seattle Supersonics to a 48 point win over the Toronto Raptors. With star shooting guard, Wallace Fennel, off injured, it was sure to be an interesting game. Imagine our surprise when Coach Ryan put him on the court in the third quarter. That decision by Ryan is the reason the Sonics won the match. Just last Monday, team doctor Peter Word announced that Fennel would be out for the next two games. As rumors of Fennel's engagement to college sweetheart Suzanna Brown surfaced, it's believed Fennel's remarkable recovery is attributed to…"_

Brooke smiles slightly as she catches a glimpse of Veronica. Leaning forward, a wide grin her face, the blonde bounces a little on her bed in excitement. "It's not a rumor." Her tone is matter-of-fact. "They've been engaged for three months."

Frowning, Brooke turns to Veronica. "How could you possibly know that?"

"He's my best friend." Veronica shrugs. "I just saw him a couple days ago. I didn't mention it?"

Brooke shakes her head. "No, you didn't." She knows Veronica doesn't like to talk about her past or the people in her life, but after knowing the girl for two years you'd think Brooke would know who the best friend was. At Veronica's confused face, Brooke decides to let it slide. "Besides, I thought _I_ was your best friend?" She feigns hurt.

Snorting, Veronica throws an M&M at Brooke, before handing her the packet and reaching for the files Hodgkinson had left earlier. She waves them in Brooke's direction. "You wanna review with me?"

Brooke shakes her head. "No thanks. I'm hitting the hay. You know how I am without my full twelve hours of sleep." She crawls under the covers and lays her head on the pillow.

Nodding, Veronica smiles. "Bitchier than me."

There's a snort as Brooke turns off her lamp and rolls over. "Please. Like that's possible."

As her smile widens, Veronica pulls out her laptop and immediately accesses the Internet. Logging into the FBI database, she opens the folder on her bed and glances at the documents.

After skimming the entire file, Veronica shakes her head as Brooke's snoring fills the room. Leaning across her bed to grab a bottle of water from her duffel, she freezes. She grabs the files and flips open to a transcript of Leesa McMahon's statement.

'_**I was worried about Tess because she's always out of the pen, rummaging through the neighbor's garbage. I think I would have preferred that to what I actually found.'**_

**Neighbor's garbage, huh? **

Veronica skims the remainder of the transcript.

**According to Mc McMahon, she has no ties to anyone in Connecticut and I highly doubt a young mother with two kids under the age of five would be responsible for the disappearance of a nineteen year old. She does, however, have ties to the entire town of Montara, courtesy of her dog, Tess. So what if Tess found the arm in the neighbor's garbage?**

It's ten minutes before Veronica's accessed the San Mateo County records. Another two hours before she has a list of names – all the residents within a two mile radius of the McMahon's property.

**Okay. Let's see which one of you thirty-three people could be responsible for Kimberly Hutchens' disappearance. Bachelor number one: Rupert Auwines.**

She runs his name through the FBI's criminal database. After a full sixty seconds she gets a result. No hits. She opens up another window, and logs into PryingEyez using her old password. After typing in Rupert Auwines, and his address, she waits for a result. Once again, no hits.

**It was naïve of me to think I'd get a result right away. Okay, bachelor number two: Sarah Auwines.**

She follows the same procedure and once again gets no hits. With a sigh, she gets into a more comfortable position, preparing for a long night. Granted, thirty-three people didn't seem like an awful lot, but when suffering from a lack of sleep, a lack of caffeine, and a slow internet connection, it was obvious that Veronica was going to be searching for a while.

It's three hours later before she finally gets anything substantial. For the most part the only criminal activity by the residents of Montara stretched about as far as not paying a parking ticket. That is, until she entered the name Paul Geoffreys.

The second she tapped the 'Enter' key, the computer beeped and a rap sheet filled the screen.

**Paul Geoffreys. Lives two miles along the same road as the McMahon's. Thirty-two years old. Up until ****ten months ago he called Lompoc State Penitentiary home. Currently out on parole after serving nine years for…**

A cold shiver runs up her spine and her eyes widen in horror.

**...the rape and murder of a sixteen year old girl.**

Veronica bolts up out of her bed and grabs her cell phone.

**I've gotta tell Sheldon.**


End file.
